MSE Students Gain Real-World Experience with Summer Internships  

This past summer, several Department of Materials Science and Engineering majors put their classroom knowledge to the test and began to crystallize post-graduate plans during highly prestigious summer internships. 

Anjan Bagchi 

As a materials and chemistry institute intern at Lawrence Livermore National Lab, rising senior Anjan Bagchi worked on two projects associated with Germania-Silica glass synthesis and the corrosion of lithium hydride and lithium hydroxide (LiH+LiOh) on steel. While he enjoyed meeting and working with an international group of people, he says he most valued “the ability to work at a premier national laboratory on multiple projects, and gain experience throughout the field of MSE.” The internship has motivated him to apply to PhD programs and to explore the possibility of a postgraduate return to the lab. 

Luke Galioto 

After a formulation and materials science internship with multinational nutrition, health, and beauty company DSM-Firmenich, rising junior Luke Galioto reports that he hopes to pursue colloidal chemistry further in the future. While much of his summer’s work was confidential, he says, “I can say that I prepared fragrance capsules for laundry care applications.” Among his biggest takeaways from his internship were building relationships with coworkers, learning new characterization techniques, lab etiquette, and presenting scientific work are among the biggest takeaways from his internship. 

Jawad Mahmud 

During his SULI (Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship) at the National Laboratory of the Rockies rising junior Jawad Mahmud developed and executed fabrication plans for treating thin-film solar cell interfaces; characterized devices through several feedback mechanisms; reviewed relevant literature in the field; presented and discussed results at group meetings; and more. He values the research experience that has prompted him to plan to earn a master’s degree in MSE with a focus on optoelectronics or nanoscience. 

Julia Diaz 

After spending ten weeks as a SULI materials science modeling intern at Idaho National Laboratory, rising sophomore Julia Diaz reports that she is “seriously considering working at a national lab as well as pursuing a PhD” after earning her undergraduate degree. As an intern, she says she really enjoyed “learning more about the field of nuclear waste vitrification and being able to explore the field more deeply as well as connecting with experts in the nuclear waste vitrification field.” Equally valuable was the perspective she gained on what work in an R&D environment was like.